Katsuragi (current)
Katsuragi (current) is a secondary antagonist of the 07 Ghost series. He was a member of the Black Hawks and held the position of Colonel (sometimes translated as Captain) of the team, making him Ayanami's direct subordinate and second-in-command of the Black Hawks. Katsuragi also acted as Ayanami's BegleiterKapitel 21., despite perhaps not fully recognized by Ayanami emotionally.The first drama CD: the love letter that God receives. Later in the series, it was revealed that Katsuragi was a traitor to the Black Hawks, the Seven Ghosts, and Admiral Ogi. In Kapitel 92, he fought Frau and Teito. Teito managed to purify him, but Kapitel 93 shows that he did not survive the battle. In Kapitel 94, he gave Teito the cursed ticket of Landkarte and reconciled with Karu, then ascended to Heaven. Etymology Katsuragi's name may have come from the Japanese aircraft carrier during World War 2 of the same name. His name follows the trend of the founding members of the Black Hawks being named after battleships. There is also a city called Katsuragi in Japan. In Japanese, 'katsura gi' (gi can mean trees or wood) can mean 'Cercidiphyllum japonicum', a species of flowering trees native to China and Japan. Katsura wood is often used to make boards for "Go", a board game that requires complex practical strategy. The authors may have intended this as a reference to Katsuragi's cunning personality. In the Japanese language, 'katsu' can mean 'win'. Appearance Physical appearance KatsuragiCharacterSketch.png|Katsuragi's character design. KatsuragiColour.png|Katsuragi in colour. KatsuragiSketch2.png KatsuragiFace.png|Katsuragi's expressions. Katsuragi has a relatively normal looking appearance. Though his official height is not given, he is a tall man, being the third tallest Black Hawk in the manga (after Haruse and Hyuuga) and the second tallest in the anime. Katsuragi has a slender build and his weight is unknown. He has a long, angular face, a long nose, a small mouth and full lips. Although Katsuragi appears to be the eldest member of the Black Hawks, looking at least several years older than the other two adult members with wrinkles around his eyes and appearing to be middle-aged, he was shown to be one of the two youngest Ghosts in the previous generation of the Seven Ghosts (the other being Karu), and while still acting as Landkarte during the Raggs War, he looked to be in his twenties or late teens. It is possible that the surgery he performed on his own face, in order to pass for the real Katsuragi, made him look older than he really is. One of Katsuragi's most distinguishable features is a small mole on the right side of his mouth. His hair is brown and cut relatively short with a few strands hanging over his face. His eyes are narrowed towards the tear ducts and a greyish-blue (greyish-purple in some images) colour, and due to their colour his pupils are very hard to distinguish. In the manga, he has dark hair and dark eyes. His original appearance was that of Landkarte, who had long, light-colored hair that was short on one side and kept in a long ponytail on the other side (before dying as a human, he kept his hair in two long ponytails of equal length). As Landkarte, he also had light-coloured eyes with long eyelashes, and pale skin. He also had a slender build as Landkarte. In Kapitel 94, Katsuragi's appearance is shown to have reverted to that of Landkarte, in the afterlife. It's worth noting that in the afterlife, his physical appearance shows no signs of ageing, and he looks as young as he did during the Raggs War. As Landkarte Being one of the Seven Ghosts, Katsuragi appears as a skeleton when in his true form. Clothing He wears the standard Black Hawk uniform, which consists of a dark blue, ankle-length overcoat with a gold trim on the neck-guard, chest and sleeve cuffs. A small half mantle emblazoned with the Barsburg military insignia hangs off his left shoulder, and he wears golden shoulder boards on his right shoulder. Similar to the rest of the Black Hawks, Katsuragi wears black trousers, as well as white gloves and black army boots. He carries a broadsword that is identical to Ayanami's with a golden hilt and a handle that is part of the underside of the guard. He is usually seen carrying a book. When he acted as Landkarte and was with the Seven Ghosts before and during the Raggs War, he wore a white hooded robe, and always wore the hood up. However, Kapitel 94 shows that he wears the hood down in the afterlife. KatsuragiUniform.png|Katsuragi in his military uniform. Personality Katsuragi initially appeared to be a calm and mild-mannered man, being rather laid back and quiet, and he has said that he prefers desk work to fighting (episode 24). Katsuragi is always courteous when speaking to others (even to his enemies, e.g. Lance) and, before his betrayal, was well-liked among the Black Hawks. He was shown to be one of the most mature and reliable of the Black Hawks, often calmed the more unconventional members of the Black Hawks down when they became hyperactive, and was often the voice of reason among the Black Hawks. He has a love for cooking, being the one who cooks for the rest of the team, eating (the child Landkarte always had snacks with him) and reading, often being shown with a book in his hand. As Landkarte, before his betrayal, he was cheerful and light-hearted, smiling often and having an optimistic attitude towards most things. However, later in the story, a much darker side of Katsuragi's personality is revealed. As the Ghost Landkarte, he betrayed both his fellow Ghosts and the Black Hawks, as his goal is different from theirs. His dream is to achieve a perfect world. At first he planned to erase hate from the world, but then he realized that 'love and hate go together, like the two sides of the same coin", so he decided that he will "erase both love and hate from the world" and "fill the world with darkness" (manga chapter 88). He thinks that if he can have Verloren's power, he can realize this dream, as he is "not as obsessed with feelings as Verloren". He is obsessed with the once perfect Verloren who didn't have personal feelings or/and obtaining Verloren's power. He can be thought of as ruthless and capricious, as he wil not hesitate to eliminate his own 'comrades' (e.g the Raggs War Relikt, Fest and Profe, Hyuuga) if the other party will spoil his plan. He is also cunning, patient and manipulative, being able and willing to wait long periods of time for his plans to succeed or to carry out his plans, and easily able to deceive many people, including his fellow Ghosts and the Black Hawks. Despite the crimes he has committed, though, the goddess Eve believes that he is actually a kind person. Relationships Superiors Ayanami Similar to the rest of the Black Hawks, Katsuragi has a high degree of loyalty to 'Ayanami'. He cherishes 'Ayanami' very much, confessing that he is 'the only one whom I love and respect', and is always respectful when talking with him. He is devoted to serving him, and values his welfare above his own. His devotion is shown as he was willing to disfigure himself in order to help 'Ayanami' achieve his goals. He is also very concerned with Ayanami's well-being, as shown when he became worried when he noticed Ayanami looked ill (second drama CD) and he made some nutritious, digestable jelly with Kuroyuri for Ayanami (kapitel 62). When it comes to work, they get on rather well, possibly because they have something similar - quiet, polite, very calm, prepared a lot before they made a move and good at doing desk work. Katsuragi is shown to take pride in working for Ayanami, and becomes pleased whenever Ayanami compliments his work. He compliments Ayanami fairly frequently, as he has said that Ayanami's Zaiphon is spectacular and he has a beautiful face. Later in the manga, it is revealed that it is Verloren before he developed feelings for Eve whom Landkarte loves and respects. Landkarte thinks that the present Verloren, Ayanami, who is 'too close' with the humans whom he met (e.g the Black Hawks), is not a match to the perfect Verloren who didn't have personal feelings before he met Eve. In manga chapter 89, it is revealed that the half of his soul whom he gave to Ayanami was in fact the original Katsuragi's soul. That's why even if he injures Ayanami, he himself won't receive the same injury. Ogi Katsuragi performed facial surgery on himself in order to look more like Ogi's subordinate, the real Katsuragi, and then took his identity. Katsuragi had pretended to love and admire Ogi in order to avoid suspicion that he was an imposter, but in reality he hated Ogi, commenting that Ogi's eyes were pathetic and with them he (Ogi) betrayed and looked down on others. Colleagues and other members of the military Hyuuga Katsuragi does not interact much with Hyuuga, but there is some evidence to suggest Katsuragi may not like Hyuuga, possibly because Katsuragi has a lot of self control and talks very politely, while Hyuuga is cheeky and rebellious towards Ayanami, whom Katsuragi has a lot of respect for. An example is shown in the second drama CD: Katsuragi sees that Hyuuga's sunglasses are tilted (because he has been sleeping during working hours), but he doesn't mention this to Hyuuga. After they enter Ayanami's room, Ayanami sees the abnormal position of Hyuuga's sunglasses, realises he has been sleeping on the job, and punishes him. If Katsuragi had reminded Hyuuga to fix his sunglasses before they entered Ayanami's room, Ayanami may not have discovered that Hyuuga had been sleeping. In Kapitel 89, Katsuragi seemingly kills Hyuuga. Katsuragi apparently feels no remorse for what he has done to Hyuuga, as he stood over Hyuuga and said mockingly: 'For you to die in vain, it's so unlike you.' Yukikaze Katsuragi is one of the earliest members of the Black Hawks, like Hyuuga, and because Hyuuga knows Yukikaze (first drama CD), Katsuragi should have also worked with Yukikaze in the Black Hawks. Since Yukikaze's death has deeply upset Ayanami, it is unknown if Katsuragi had a grudge against Yukikaze. Anyhow, Landkarte has a grudge against Eve for the reason that she has caused Verloren to become imperfect in the sense that he developed personal feelings, it is possible that he disliked Yukikaze for the same reason. Konatsu Before Katsuragi 'killed' Hyuuga, Konatsu has had a good relationship with Katsuragi. Katsuragi appears to care about Konatsu or will take care of him when it's within his power. In kapitel 70, Katsuragi even used teletransportation, which can put himself in a danger of revealing that he is Landkarte, in order to save Konatsu from a would-have-been-fatal sword strike by Castor. Although he is an experienced and cautious spy who knows what can be said considering the circumstances, sometimes Katsuragi seems to let his guard down unconsciously when he is with Konatsu, as shown in manga chapter 88, as it is because he said something to Konatsu that led to his secret identity as Landkarte being revealed. With reference to manga chapter 89, it seems that one of the reasons why he liked Konatsu and spared him is because he thinks Konatsu has a きれい (kirei, meaning beautiful or/and clean) soul. He said that if one day Konatsu's kirei soul become dark, he will entertain him. Other Ghosts Karu As Ghosts, Karu and Katsuragi were friends. As they were the two youngest members of the previous generation of Ghosts, and Landkarte's age was the closest to Karu/Ea's, the other, older Ghosts asked Landkarte to teach Karu various things. At first, Karu felt that Landkarte was 'the type of person I'm not good with', and was initially annoyed by Landkarte's antics. Later, Karu opened up to Landkarte and they became friends. Karu admitted to himself that for the first time, he (Karu) had recognized an existence called a comrade. However, when Landkarte betrayed his fellow Ghosts and killed the Raggs War Fest, Profe and Relikt, Karu was evidently anguished and sad. Throughout the ten years after Landkarte's betrayal, both Karu and Katsuragi remained in the military, with Karu keeping an eye on Katsuragi (Karu tells Teito that he has been 'chasing after my compatriot for the last ten years'). In Kapitel 90, Karu and Katsuragi finally come face-to-face with each other and fight again. In Kapitel 91, Karu was killed by Landkarte, and his last regret was he couldn't save/help Landkarte. It seems that Katsuragi may feel some reluctance to kill Karu, as in manga chapter 91, it was after Karu said he would trap Landkarte inside the Book of Hades forever that Katsuragi thought to himself 'So I can't leave unless Ea is killed..', and after Karu was killed, Katsuragi was shown wondering why his heart still hurt even though his soul had already turned black. Raggs War Zehel: It seems that he had a good relationship with him, as when Landkarte said souls became dirty/dark again after he purified them, Zehel told Landkarte to give him a list of those who became filthy/dark again and he will cut them for him (manga chapter 91). Ea has also said Landkarte often escorted Zehel for the latter's mission (see the chapter in which the Raggs War Ghosts were discussing the Pope's betrayal), so they had been often together. People affiliated with Heaven Verloren Landkarte said that he loves and respects Verloren, who, in his opinion, was perfect before he came to know what love and hate were after he met Eve. Eve It seems that he dislikes Eve, thinking that she caused Verloren to become imperfect, and doesn't want him to meet her again. (manga chapter 89) He apparently holds a grudge against Eve, stating to Ayanami that he refuses to let him find Eve. Despite his dislike of her, Eve selflessly helps guide him out of the Ninth Circle of Hell and explains to him that although she understands why he took so many people's sins onto himself, he was wrong to do so, and explains why he was wrong to do such a thing. He eventually accepted her reasoning. Abilities and Attributes Combat He appears to be a highly skilled and dangerous fighter when he fights seriously, able to fight on par with Lance (who was a skilled fighter himself) and to see through Castor (who was a well-trained assassin)'s move. In manga chapter 88, he is quick enough to cut three Ghosts' heads off from behind with a sway of his scythe. In the same chapter, he also defeated Hyuuga and is shown to be faster than Hyuuga. Zaiphon Attacking: Katsuragi has been shown to have an attacking Zaiphon, and he uses his sword to manipulate his attacks, similar to how those in the Church use a bascule. He is able generate a wave of energy upon a sword swing. Katsuragi is able to do this many times in a row and upon close inspection he seems to be able to generate two waves upon a single swing in the anime. Healing: He may have healing Zaiphon too, since in manga chapter 88, after a part of his body had been swallowed by Labrador's flower, his body returned to normal when he headed towards Ouka. Others Teletransportation: '''This appears to enable him to move to any coordinates on Earth (or perhpas limited to the places he has been to) and any person he wishes to go to as long as he knows a soul's number, meaning his 'prey' can never escape from him unless he/she changed his/her soul number. '''Keeping a soul: He can keep a soul in his custody for at least 10 years (manga chapter 88). The maximum numbers of souls he can keep is unknown. History Early childhood Katsuragi was born into the noble lineage of the Reuen Family. Manga chapter 91 reveals that when he was a child, he was offered as a hitobashira (lit. human sacrifice) to a river in District 3 which often floods, and after he was drowned alive, he reincarnated as Landkarte. The name he had when he was human remains unknown. Pre-Raggs War He is believed to be one of the earliest members of the Black Hawks, fighting in the Raggs War with his team mates Ayanami and Hyuuga. During the Raggs War Much of his past was revealed in a chapter in the manga. The man the series names as 'Katsuragi' is originally a subordinate to Ayanami and looked different to what he does now. When the Black Hawks were deployed to attack Raggs, they accidentally killed some of their own soldiers in the crossfire. 'Katsuragi' stumbled across the real Katsuragi who was seriously wounded. He noticed that the real Katsuragi was a subordinate of Ogi, someone who disliked Ayanami, so he surgically changed his own face to resemble the real Katsuragi and pretended to be him (the real Katsuragi) for more than ten years, waiting for an appropriate time to remove Ogi. Appearances Manga synopsis Begleiter exam Katsuragi first appears with Ayanami and the Black Hawks quietly observing the students during the Barsburg Academy entry examination. A meeting about the Eye He is seen standing behind Ayanami during the meeting, reading a book and he later says how he looks forward to meeting Teito. After the meeting he is later seen delivering a report to Ayanami where he reminds him of his schedule. Upon Ayanami showing gratitude, Katsuragi simply replies that his words flatter him and that he is happy to be of service to him. A meeting about Antwort Katsuragi later appears in a meeting with Ayanami about the war with Antwort. Discovery of the Eye of Mikhail Katsuragi, unlike the other Black Hawks, is not present on the Ribidzile travelling to Antwort but instead appears in another meeting concerning Ayanami's loss of two imperial fleet ships. Katsuragi does not react when some of the generals demand Ayanami's execution, but after Field Marshal Wakaba Oak silences them and asks about Ayanami's condition, he replies that the Chief of Staff is unharmed. Their attention is then drawn to the Eye of God left in the mountains of District 7- it being proof the Eye of Mikhail was present at the attack. Once the meeting has ended, Katsuragi speaks with Ogi, who had placed him in the Black Hawks as a spy to watch Ayanami. Ogi is frustrated that Ayanami had neglected to take Katsuragi on the trip to Antwort- demonstrating a lack of trust on Ayanami's part, but together with Ogi, Katsuragi plots an attack against the Chief of Staff. Ayanami's return Once the rest of the Black Hawks have returned from Antwort War, Katsuragi greets them in their office and brings them sweet potato.Kapitel 28. Quotes *'People are strongest when they have nothing to lose.' (anime episode 24) *'This is my home-made health wine. From today onwards, drink this at breakfast, at lunch and at dinner. As a sanbou, you must take care of your own health.' Said to Ayanami in the Day of Retribution drama CD when he finds Ayanami has been skipping meals. *'(laugh) Oh, haha, no, no. Don't thank me. At the end of the day, I am your vice-Begleiter. Please let me handle matters of this sort (taking care of you).' Said to Ayanami, The Day of Retribution drama CD. *'I only have one wish. If I possess your power, I can turn the world into something that is perfect..! '"わたしの望みはただひとつ あなたののうりょくがそなわれば このせかいをかんべきなものにかえられる...!!", Katsuragi says to Verloren in manga chapter 89 *'Here, the Eye you desire. Although I don't look like one, actually I am a man of honor.' (to the dead Ogi when he put the Eye of Mikhail in Ogi's hand) *'If I can't erase either love or hate, I'll just erase both of them. By doing so, I'm sure peace will be brought upon this world. Just like, welcoming death at the eternal bottom of the sea where lights will never reach... Because unlike Verloren, I don't have love or hate inside me. I can paint this world with pure darkness.' (to Karu in Kapitel 88) Trivia *He is one of four members of the current generation of Seven Ghosts whose parents have never been shown, the other three being Karu, Labrador and Lance. *He is older than Karu, In Kapitel 88, he says about Karu: 'Poor him, and he's so young...was he posioned?' but only slightly. In Kapitel 88, Raggs War Profe said: 'Landkarte. You're the closest one to him in age so I'm sure it's easy to talk to him.' and Guido said to him: 'You're also a brat!' *He is good at assessing the prices of artwork.In a side chapter in the manga, Konatsu and Hyuuga take the "magic pots" they have bought to Katsuragi for assessing their pots' monetary worth. *In his uniform, he has a bottle of a type of alcohol which enhances health and is made by himself. Upon knowing that Ayanami hasn't eaten anything since the evening before, he offers it to Ayanami and tells him to drink it thrice a day, but Ayanami complains and says a soldier shouldn't hide such things in his uniform.07-Ghost second drama CD: The day of retribution. *He thinks that Ayanami has a beautiful face.Second drama CD: The day of retribution. *He thinks that Ayanami's zaiphon used for punishment is spectacular.Second drama CD: The day of retribution. *In the 8th Limited Animate DVD, there is a mini-drama which features Katsuragi and Konatsu, titled "kokoro no izumi" (literal translation "heart spring/fountain"). In the drama, they asked "whether the chicken or the egg came first" and talked about altruism. *It is possible that Katsuragi is also interested in gardening, as the wish he writes and hangs on the Christmas tree in Ayanami's room is "(To have) a vegetable garden".One of the omakes in Supreme Sugar. *It seems that he likes a type of Japanese food called tsukemono, as the wish note he puts in his Christmas stocking is "the best tsukemono in the world".An omake in manga vol 11. *It seems that he is interested in the hawkzile race, as he deliberately recorded it.Kapitel 70. *In Japan, some fans suspect that Katsuragi is a ghost because he used teletransportation in kapitel 70 and teletransportation was one of Ea and Landkarte's abilities; Castor has wondered who Katsuragi was as even he could not sense Katsuragi's presence. At the same time, Katsuragi is a high-ranking officer who had joined the army before the Raggs War and is someone close to Ayanami. In Kapitel 89, it was confirmed that Katsuragi is the current reincarnation of Landkarte. *The Chief of Heaven has said to Verloren that there's a dark part in him (Verloren), and he should stay in a restricted area avoiding contact with others, given the darkness can 'infect' them upon touch. Because Labrador has said that the Shadow (Landkarte) is complete darkness, and that Hyuuga said he has already been infected when Ayanami ordered Hyuuga not to touch Landkarte (manga chapter 89), some fans think that it is possible that the Shadow Man is that dark part of Verloren, and for an unknown reason it later separated from Verloren and could act on its own. It is also possible that Landkarte is created using that dark part of Verloren, given that the Seven Ghosts are made from Verloren's pieces. Fanbook/animation book related trivia KatsuragiMikageFanbook.png Site Navigation Category:Characters Category:Military members Category:Male Category:Secondary characters Category:Antagonists Category:Begleiter Category:Ghost Category:Nobility Category:Gods Category:Reincarnated Category:Deceased Category:Vessels